


Then the high tide came (and brought you in)

by MG12CSI16



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Outlaw Queen - Freeform, Post-Season 4, Reunions, Sexual Content, Swan Queen friendship, Tiny bit of Regal Believer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-08
Updated: 2015-03-09
Packaged: 2018-03-16 21:14:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3502994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MG12CSI16/pseuds/MG12CSI16
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She's ready for the long drive back to Storybrooke and the onslaught of tears burning at the back of her eyes at the thought of returning to an empty house. Then she sees him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first OQ story. It's set about four or five years after the current season and it's just kind of…weird I guess since I always tend to lean toward modern AU ideas when it comes to these two but then this thing just started writing itself.

_How I'd love to steer you straight into those waters,_

_while those daunting clouds above began to pour,_

_and when we're found, we'll kiss that ground,_

_and roll around on that lover's floor_

Gregory Alan Isakov _(That Sea, the Gambler)_

**XxX**

Henry decides to go to college in New York.

He tells her over a nearly silent dinner at Granny's, tucked into a booth near the back and silently picking at a plate of French fries while she stares at him over the rim of her coffee cup. It comes out as a whisper, like he's afraid to say it aloud because it'll suddenly be all too real, and Regina feels the world come to a startling halt around her.

"You want to go where?" She asks because maybe she's misheard him but then he flashes his brown eyes up at her, glazed with both sadness and excitement and she knows she's heard him right.

"I'm gonna go to New York," he tells her, "They've got amazing schools and it's just…it's time I made my own adventure, you know?"

And Regina can't help but smile though it's watery and wavers the slightest bit as she reaches a hand across the table and tangles her fingers with his, remembers when they used to be tiny and soft and says,

"Yes, I know."

**XxX**

She and Emma arrange to drive him to University together and Regina stands by the car as Henry says goodbye to what appears to be the entire town, taps her foot impatiently but can't fight the grin that pulls at her lips when she sees how much this town and its people love her son.

He pulls out of Snow's impossibly tight hug and pats the top of Neal's head affectionately before he finally moves towards her and slips into the back seat of Emma's yellow bug, surrounded by the boxes that wouldn't fit in the trunk and before Regina can even wrap her head around it they're pulling away.

The first few moments of the drive are filled with a mostly one sided conversation between he and Emma before silence envelops them and when Regina glances into the rear view mirror she can see him watching the tiny town he's spent his entire life in as it dissolves into the horizon behind them.

**XxX**

It takes them nearly half a day to get Henry settled in.

They make nearly half a dozen trips up and down the stairs and it's not until the last box from the car is stacked in the corner that Regina allows herself to lean against the door frame and survey her son's new home.

It's not nearly as homely as the room she created for him all those years ago but as he and Emma busy themselves with unpacking she can see the tiny pieces of that life he's brought with him and the lump in her throat grows until she has to excuse herself to keep from breaking down in front of both he and Emma.

**XxX**

In the bathroom she splashes cold water on her face and tries to control her breathing, admonishing herself for not being able to hold it together the way Emma does (because Emma is seemingly made of stone).

But then she remembers that this is her son, and while she has ruled Kingdoms and terrorized villages with nothing but an impassive smile on her face, she is powerless against the emotions that seem to surge through her at the realization that he's no longer going to be around the way he was before.

And that's ok.

**XxX**

Regina manages to hold herself together as they say their goodbyes, Emma giving her a silent look that says 'take your time' before she slips out of the room (but not before Regina sees her wipe at her eyes with the back of her hand) to go find the car.

In the end it goes by much quicker than she would have liked but when Henry wraps his arms around her and she buries her face in his hair she feels a sense of peace wash over her because he is happy and she knows no matter what she feels or how much it hurts to let him go that  _his_ happiness is worth it.

It's always been worth it.

**XxX**

Emma can sense her obvious disappointment as they pull away from the school because instead of taking them back to Storybrooke Emma pulls up beside a café and turns to face her with a small smile on her face.

"I don't know about you but I could definitely use some caffeine after all of that."

She doesn't wait for Regina to acknowledge her words before she's out of the car and Regina is thankful because right now she doesn't feel like talking; she's ready for the long drive back to Storybrooke and the onslaught of tears burning at the back of her eyes at the thought of returning to an empty house.

Then she sees him.

He's pacing back and forth with a cell phone pressed to his ear and the sight makes her laugh, the sound almost maniacal though she doesn't really seem to notice because  _there he is._

Older but still the same.

And Regina is suddenly on autopilot, moving from the car to the crowded sidewalk of New York City and straight towards him. He doesn't even see her until she's right in front of him but once he looks up time freezes all over again and she watches the cellphone fall from his ear, jaw unhinged and eyes boring into hers through a mist of tears.

She doesn't even speak (she's almost sure nothing would come out if she tried), simply moves toward him and he doesn't even hesitate to pull her into him with so much force she feels the breath leave her lungs at the impact.

"My god," he breathes after a silent moment, "my god  _my god_ " and though the sound of his voice is muffled by her hair but she hears him as if he's just screamed from the top of the world.

"It's really you," she finally manages to mumble, crying and shaking her head because  _here he is_.

And Robin laughs, a deep throaty sound that warms her through to her core and nearly makes her forget that these last four years have been spent wishing and wanting, before he says,

"Yes, it's me."

And suddenly Regina's world seems just a little bit brighter.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two**

 

Regina doesn't know how long they're standing there before Emma comes out of the café, the two coffees in her hand nearly meeting the ground as her eyes fall on Robin.

If she weren't still in a state of shock Regina imagines she'd laugh at the look on her face but before she can manage to do anything Emma is right next to them, ogling at Robin like he's some sort of spectacle.

"You found him," she says in awe, looking at Regina with a ridiculous smile on her face and she doesn't even ask how or why, just continues to smile until it dawns on her exactly what's happening and she sheepishly ducks her head.

"I'm sorry; uh, I guess I'll go drink my coffee in the car and you two can…talk."

And before Regina can say anything Emma is gone, shuffling off to the car and leaving the two of them standing in the middle of the street as if they're the only two people on this Earth. She pulls herself out of his arms and straightens herself up, missing the warmth of his body but knowing they need to find somewhere more private if they're going to have the talk they cannot deny is coming.

"We can go to my place," he announces, making her jump before she looks at him with raised brow.

"Your place?" she asks, "Will Marian mind?"

Robin's face sort of blanches at her question and he doesn't have to say anything for Regina to understand.

"I'm sorry," she says and she means it because even if Marian is the reason he walked away all those years ago she still holds a place in his heart and she hates to see it broken.

Robin doesn't dwell on it though, resting a hand on her shoulder and pushing her forward with a small smile instead.

"It's alright, we just weren't meant for each other anymore."

_Because I love_ you.

**XxX**

She texts Emma on the way to Robin's apartment and tells her not to wait for her if she doesn't want to, insists she can get back to Storybrooke on her own but right now she and Robin just need to be alone.

His place isn't far from the cafe, about a five minute walk, and Regina isn't surprised to see that it's small but the fact is offset the inside which is warm and homely, makes her want to melt into the atmosphere and just  _be._

He offers her a drink as she shrugs off her coat and she accepts almost too quickly, causing him to chuckle as he pours her a glass of scotch. She watches him move and notes how foreign it all appears because the last time she saw him he was living in a tent on the edge of the forest and now he was here in New York City, in his own apartment pouring her a drink and sinking down onto the couch beside her.

Regina takes a sip of her drink as she looks around his place, noting the pictures of Roland and Marian scattered about, cluttering the tables and shelves he has set up.

"He's grown," she says, nodding towards a picture of the little boy she loves like her own. "He's becoming quite handsome."

"Yes he is," Robin agrees and when Regina turns to look at him he's staring right at her and her skin prickles with electricity that's so intense she's almost sure it's going to consume her.

She swallows nervously before setting her glass down on the coffee table and as soon as her hands are free Robin is on her and Regina hopes and prays he never leaves.

"Bedroom," she pants between searing kisses, " _now_."

**XxX**

They undress in a flurry of motion, hands frantically tugging and pulling until her dress is somewhere between the living room and the hall leading to his room and his shirt is open, revealing the expanse of his chest and abdomen.

By the time he pushes her into his bedroom they're both bare and Robin is laying her down on his bed with as much care and compassion as she remembers. He quickly crawls on top of her and his hands are tracing over every inch of skin in a desperate attempt to reacquaint himself as he kisses and nips at her.

"You're so beautiful," he mutters and the tears pool in her eyes, hot and traitorous as he moves across her body. "So beautiful."

He kisses a trail up her neck, brushes away a few stray tears with a soft brush of his lips before he's moving back down her body, across her breasts then moving down to her navel and Regina runs her fingers through his hair, scraping her nails gently against his scalp because she just needs to feel him.

"I need you," she whines after a moment and she hates how much control he has over her, how easy it is just to give in to him and when Robin shows no signs of hurrying his pace she bucks her hips impatiently.

She feels him smile into the skin of her hip and when he pulls back she spreads her legs, looking up at him shamelessly, urging him with an impish grin to just  _take her right now._

Slowly he moves one hand down her torso, his touch feather light as he skims across the sensitive skin of her inner thigh before bringing his hand to her heat and nearly groaning at how wet and wanting she already is.

He leans down to press hot opened mouth kisses against her skin before taking one of her swollen nipples into his mouth, sucking gently as his fingers tweak the other and he can feel her writhing in indescribable want beneath him.

"God Robin  _please."_

And she must sound absolutely desperate because he finally pulls back and reaches a tentative hand down to her dripping sex, moaning as he aligns himself with her center and she can feel the head of his cock brushing against her aching core.

He takes one look at her before gently nudging forward; never looking away from her and when he's fully seated inside of her they both gasp before Regina throws her head back and whimpers.

"Move," she demands and Robing starts to slowly move his hips against hers as he tangles their fingers together.

He gains a bit of speed as she tightens her grip on his hand, feels him thrust in and out and her head is spinning because  _god he feels so delicious inside of her._

It's an embarrassingly short amount of time before he has Regina dangling over the edge, mewling and moving against him in desperation before he untangles his hand from hers and moves down to where they're joined. He finds her clit and presses lightly against it, eliciting a moan from her before rubbing gentle circles until she finally cries out in ecstasy.

Her body tightens as she reaches orgasm, clenching around him and letting her nails dig into his shoulders. It's just as she remembers it but with an added sense of urgency because even though he's here now she can't help but fear he'll slip away again and she presses herself closer to him.

She keeps her eyes closed as Robin continues to drag out her orgasm, urging him forward with her soft cries of  _Robin, Robin, Robin_  and when he finally falls over the edgy with a breathy shout of her name he collapses onto his forearms and buries his face into the crook of her neck, breathing heavily.

They lay in silence for a few moments before he finally lifts his head to look at her and presses a small kiss to the corner of her mouth.

"I love you," he whispers and beneath the soft light of the city that filters through his window she sees how beautiful he is; how beautiful he's always been.

"I love you too."

**XxX**

The next morning they wake in a tangled pile of limbs, her hair a startling contrast against the white of his pillowcase. Regina tries to find sleep again but grows frustrated as it eludes her and decides to get up instead, pulls on the white t-shirt Robin was wearing last night and tiptoes out of the bedroom as quietly as she can.

In the kitchen she finds the coffee he keeps in the cabinet and chuckles quietly because the last time she tried to get him to drink the stuff he had scrunched up his nose in distaste and requested a cup of tea instead but it seems things have changed in the years he's been living in the real world.

She turns on the machine once she's done reminiscing and once it lets out a low hum that tells her it's brewing she decides to look around, unable to staunch the curiosity bubbling inside of her because this is a part of him she's never seen and she wants to drink it all in while she can.

He doesn't have many things but Regina doesn't expect him to. There are some books on the shelves and a small TV that probably doesn't get much use, some toys in a chest that no doubt belong to Roland (there's another bedroom at the end of the hall that belongs to him but Regina can't make herself open the door).

Other than the pictures strewn about there's no evidence that Marian even exists in Robin's life and Regina hates herself a bit because the realization seems to calm her wired nerves. While she doesn't hate the woman anymore she still feels threatened and a bit guilty at the thought of her though time has done a wonderful job of slowly allowing those feelings to fade.

Regina's just about to turn back to the kitchen to check the coffee when Robin is suddenly there, his arms encircling her waist and pulling her close.

"You should have woken me; I'd have given you a tour."

His voice is husky and low in her ear, sending shivers up her spine as she jumps slightly in surprise before automatically leaning back against him, his mouth latching onto the spot below her ear. He's bare chested and his hair is mussed from sleep and sex, his smile lazy and his eyes still crinkled with sleep.

It's a sight she was never sure she'd see again.

"I'm sorry, I was just curious," she says quietly, still staring at the pictures and when the shrill beep of the coffee machine sounds she feels him pull away and move towards the kitchen.

She automatically trails after him, gives a small smile when he slides a cup across the counter to her and sets down a dish of sugar and some creamer though she's been known to take it black nowadays. She sips at her drink in silence as Robin goes through his cabinets and comes back to set down two boxes of kid's cereal and some bagels that look like they've seen better days.

"I apologize for the lack of variety," he says, "Roland isn't coming over until Friday and I've yet to go to the shop."

Regina waves away his apology and reaches for the fruity cereal with the rabbit on the box, remembers how she would buy it for Henry and suddenly the lump in her throat from yesterday is back. She wipes roughly at her eyes as Robin looks for a bowl but she's not quick enough and his eyes light up with concern when he sees.

"Regina, what's the matter?"

She tries to wave him away, insists she's fine and it's nothing but Robin knows her (he knows her so well it scares her) and he meets her words with a skeptical look that cuts her down.

"It's Henry," she finally murmurs, "he's just moved here for college and I guess I'm just…not ready for life without him."

Robin says nothing as she sniffles and eventually begins to weep, all of her pent up emotions seeping past the dam she had managed to keep up for Henry's sake and when he opens his arms for her she gladly falls into him and cries until she has no tears left.

**XxX**

"Why didn't you come looking for me?" he asks her later, after they've abandoned their cereal bowls and decided to sprawl out on the couch, her body wrapped around his as his fingers card through her hair.

The question makes her freeze and guilt twists itself around her gut and bleeds into her heart, makes her gnaw on her bottom lip until she tastes blood. She's asked herself the same question for years, has seen it mirrored in the eyes of those she's allowed to rally around her and every time she finds herself answering it with the same three words.

"I don't know."

Robin hums at the answer, doesn't sound mad or upset but doesn't seem completely satisfied either and Regina knows this is the beginning of the talk they managed to avoid last night (because they've never been good with words). Maneuvering herself until she's able to stare up at him Regina lets out a breath and tries to make sense of the thoughts that have been plaguing her for all these years.

"When you first left I tried everything. Emma, Henry, and I looked and looked for a way to give me a happy ending but all of these other things would start getting in the way and eventually I just started to think that maybe fate was trying to tell me you were happy where you were."

She takes a deep breath, cursing herself because she can feel the tear tracks on her cheeks but doesn't allow herself to stop because he deserves to know.

"I thought  _–hoped—_ that you and Marian had found somewhere to be happy together with Roland and every time I started to think about you I would just tell myself I was doing you a favor. And I don't know if it's because I was scared you wouldn't want me anymore or if I was scared that you would and something else would happen to keep us apart but I know now that I was wrong."

Her voice trails off as she nestles her head back against his chest, closing her eyes and feeling his skin beneath her fingertips and it's an agonizingly long time before he finally speaks.

"Did you really believe I would  _ever_ stop wanting you?"

Regina smiles despite the tears drying on her skin and whispers "no, no I didn't," feels Robin's body relax beneath hers and for the first time since Henry told her he was leaving she feels that maybe, just  _maybe_ her happy ending is still being written.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter guys. I'm sorry it's so short but I never really intended for this story to be very long. In the future though I may post a few outtakes with Roland/Marian and Emma/Henry in them because I think it could be fun. For now though thanks for kudos/comments, they mean a lot!

**Chapter three**

 

After their conversation on the couch Robin announces he's going to shower, giving Regina a few moments to pull herself together before she goes in search of her phone to call Emma.

They're still not incredibly close but sharing a son and working together to protect the town they live in has drawn the two of them together and Regina can finally admit (without even a hint of sarcasm) that the two women are friends.

This is a relief to Regina.

Emma picks up on the second ring, voice thick with sleep despite it being nearly noon by now and Regina rolls her eyes even though she knows Emma can't see.

"So, how did it go last night?" Emma asks without greeting and Regina snorts because the blonde's voice is so casual one would think she and Robin had gone on a casual date last night instead of finding each other on the streets of New York after years apart.

"Okay, okay," Emma says, "maybe not the best question to start out this conversation. I'm assuming you did talk to him though?"

"Yes, we talked," Regina tells her softly, before adding, "Among other things."

Emma laughs and Regina likes to think if she were here with her she would have winked and nudged her with her elbow the way she normally does when Regina mentions doing something others would deem 'scandalous' of her.

"Well that's good. It's been a long time coming, ya know?"

Regina doesn't say anything and she can hear Emma grow silent on the other line as well, the rustling noises in the background fading to nothing as Emma stills.

"Regina, is everything really okay?"

Regina wants to scream when Emma asks the question because honestly she  _doesn't know_. She's happy to be here with Robin (happier than she's been in a long time) but her mind and heart are muddled, making it impossible for her to think clearly.

Part of her wants nothing more than to be with Robin, to love him and bask in his love with everything she's got but the other part of her, the one that's able to see sense, knows that they can't just pack up and live happily ever after.

Because Storybrooke has magic and as long as magic exists Marian will never be able to go back and Regina knows Robin will never tear his son away from her, nor will he leave him behind to follow her back home (not that she blames him though, she would never choose anything else over her son).

Regina relays all of this to Emma and the blonde listens quietly on the other line, sometimes offering soft sounds of acknowledgement but never speaking until Regina finally finishes with a soft sigh and a nearly inaudible  _Emma what do I do?_

Emma is quiet for a moment before she finally says, "Honestly Regina, I think this is a conversation you and Robin need to have. I know that's probably not what you want to hear but it's his life we're talking about. Don't you think he might want to hear what you have to say?"

Regina swallows thickly. "I know...I  _know_  he needs to hear this. I just don't know what's going to happen when he does…and that scares me."

"Yeah, I know. Love is a scary thing but I don't know if there's anyone in this world who deserves a happy ending more than the two of you so what you're gonna do is stay in New York for a few days, talk this out and if it doesn't work out in the end, God forbid, you call me and I'll be there to bring you back to Storybrooke, okay?"

The lump in Regina's throat grows as Emma speaks because she doesn't remember ever having a friend who cared for her this much and Emma's words are exactly what she needs to hear right now.

They finish the call after Regina promises she's going to talk to Robin and almost as soon as she hangs up she hears the shower shut off, wipes her face because she's sure there are tears and makeup everywhere, and takes a few deep breaths. By the time Robin comes back out fully dressed she's managed to pull herself together and even offers him a genuine smile as he comes to sit beside her.

"I forgot how well you cleaned up," she comments, running her thumb along his freshly shaved jaw.

Robin leans into her touch and it takes all of her willpower to keep from repeating last night, wanting nothing more than to feel him in her and hear him call her name. But she knows now isn't the time and though she feels that inkling of fear twisting in her chest she knows she needs to do this.

"I think we need to talk about what we're going to do," she says quietly and Robin doesn't even look up at her, just nods his head and leans back against the couch with a sigh.

"I can't leave New York," he tells her quietly.

Regina sighs. She knew this much but hearing him tell her he can't follow her home still hurts and she presses herself into his side in an attempt to ground herself.

"I know you can't. And I wouldn't ask you to leave Roland, you know that."

(Because she would never in a million years ask him to abandon the boy he loves more than life.)

"That only leaves us with two options then. Either you stay here with me or you go back to Storybrooke on your own."

She can hear the pain in his voice as the words leave him, tumbling from his lips clumsily as if he can't quite manage to get them out and Regina knows he fears she's going to choose the second option; that she'll leave him behind the same way he did her. And Regina wants to tell him that isn't fair because he had no choice; there was no way she was going to make him stay with her while they sent Marian into a world she had no knowledge of.

She wants to tell him all of this, wants to scream it out loud for the world to hear; she wants him to know she feels it deep in her bones and in every beat of her heart.

But she's never been good with words.

_They've_ never been good with words.

So she does the only thing she can think of.

The kiss itself is like nothing she's experienced before. Nothing like Daniel or even the first time she kisses Robin. It's raw and electric and she feels it flooding through her veins, the tiny hairs at the back of her neck coming to attention and it is  _beautiful_. And when she finally pulls back, her lips red and already sore, she sees the way he's looking at her with so much hope and happiness in his eyes and  _that_ she thinks, is the happy ending she's been waiting for.

**XxX**

They spend the rest of the day in bed and when Robin eventually falls asleep, later that night after they repeat last night  _many_ times, Regina quietly slips out of bed, grabs her phone and quietly moves to the living room to sit in front of the window overlooking the city.

She texts Emma and tells her the important details of her conversation with Robin, not really in a mood to talk though she does want the blonde to know that there's no need to drive back to New York City just yet. She thanks her for her words of encouragement and it's only moments later (despite the fact it's nearly one in the morning) that she receives a plain  _you're welcome_ accompanied by a little smiley face that has Regina rolling her eyes with a soft chuckle.

She sets the phone aside after that, moves back to the window and stares in awe of all the lights and sounds because she may have been in charge of an entire kingdom but there was absolutely no comparison to what she was looking at right now and the longer she looks the more she remembers that this is going to be her home.

And while the thought is slightly overwhelming she remembers the man asleep in the bedroom, how the stars aligned to bring them together over and over and she knows there's nothing to be afraid of. The idea of giving up her magic had scared her in the beginning (sometimes she thinks magic is all she knows, all she'll ever know) but she realizes she's stronger now, that anything they have to face will be done so together and while it may take time to grow used to it she knows she won't be alone.

She'll never be alone again.


End file.
